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Thursday, April 26, 2018

The Worker's Party in Brazil says Lula is still their candidate and publicly presented the party's seven point presidential platform. It's a plan that covers just about everything under the sun, to the point of being meaningless.

1. The international system, sovereignty, and national defense.2. Integration and national cohesiveness, as well as providing public services.3. Justice and the rule of law in the country.4. Improving the quality of life of citizens.5. How to increase the availability of consumable goods.6. The reduction of inequality and assurance of social inclusion throughout Brazil.7. Economic and sustainable development, how to use natural and industrial resources, guaranteeing wealth for all.

Lula had said the PT could choose another candidate if it wanted, though it may be waiting at least for a Supreme Court ruling coming up soon about releasing him from prison. I am not sure whether he'd be eligible to run anyway.

This has major implications because Lula is the favorite to win the election. Take him out of the picture, and the lunatic Jair Bolsonaro is slightly ahead of Marina Silva, but you also have a slew of candidates just under them, splintering the left and the right. That's volatile because you won't need a high vote share to get to the second round and so the race will hinge on who manages to get that extra bit of margin. My colleague Fred Batista was just filling me in on all the possible permutations across the political spectrum.